Race-starting machine



Jan. 26, 1926. 1,571,168

R. G. GRAY RACE STARTING MACHINE Filed August 28, 1925 Patented Jan. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT ounce.

REUBEN GABRIEL GRAY, or canrnnsunv, nnnn SYDNEY, NEW sourn WALES,

' aus'rnaun.

ancn-s'ran'rme MACHINE.

Application filed August 28, 1925. Serial No. 53,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN GABRIEL GRAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Canterbury, near Sydney, in the State of'New South ales and Commonwealth of Australia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Race-Starting Machines, for which I have made application for patent in Australia under date of July 1, 192 1, and specification.

This invention relates to race starting machines or race barriers used generally in the starting or releasing of horsesin races, and particularly to such machines in which there is on either side of the course a fore and a hind distanced post with forwardly inclined guide therebetween and whereon the end of the barrier slides, and in which machines the object hitherto has been to provide a light, frail and easily severed barrier across the course or track as effective devices had not been provided which would carry heavy barriers and efiiciently move them as required, and which frail barriers are now regarded as unsuitable. And the improvements constituting this invention have been specially devised in order to provide an improved race starting machine in which there is at each side a pair of flexible inclined side guides and improved means for maintaining each pair taut; improved means for travelling on said guides and carrying the barrier ropes; an improved traversable barrier consisting of carriers and a plurality of strong ropes or the like unseverable except by excessive strain thereagainst and having means for maintaining each taut and means for readily attaching and detaching each from the barrier; and means for setting and releasing the barrier.

In order that theimprovements and a practical application thereof will be readily understood the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective of an improved race starting machine with the improvements embodied,

Figure 2 is a partial elevation of the side guides and their tightening device,

Figure 3 is a perspective of one of the barrier carriers in use,

Figure 1 is an elevation of a barrier rope tensioning device,

of which the following is a Figure 5 is a perspective of the hind posts in relatlve positions and the releasing devices thereon, and

Figure 6 is a perspective of the releasing lever.

The pair of forwardly inclined side guides 7 of flexible material such as wire hauser is preferably constituted of one length doubled 'with the turn or loop 8 forwardly of the fore post 9 with its falls through said post 9, preferably over sheaves afiixed in vertically distanced slots therethrough, and its ends secured to the hind post 10 at requisite lower planes. \Vithin said loop 8 is a sheave 11 preferably carried upon an axle in a bridle 12 connected to one end of a tauten device such as a turn buckle 13 whose other end is connected by an eyed member 14 to a guy 15 which is secured to a forward anchor post 16 positioned forwardly of said fore post 9, so that by manipulation of said turn buckle 13 the pair of side guides 7 are uniformly tauten.

In a modified arrangement of the side guides 7 constituted of one length doubled such length has the turn or loop led around upper and lower sheaves in slots through the hind post 10, the end of the top fall anchored to the fore post 9 and the lower fall led over a sheave in a slot through said post and connected to one end of tightening means such as a turn buckle whose other end is anchored to said post at or towards the lower part thereof.

A, carrier frame 17 to travel upon the side guides 7 and carry the barrier ropes 18 consists preferably of T iron having in the inwardly disposed web a plurality of longitudinally distanced orifices for connection of the ends of the barrier ropes 18 and having outwardly disposed upper and lower sheaves 19 distanced complementarily to the side guides 7 and carried upon a removable axle in a bridle 20 swivell-ed to a bracket 21 secured to said frame 17. To said frame 17 on the hind edge thereof is hingedly connected, say by an eye 22, one end of an eyed setting bar or link 23 whose free eyed end 24 is engaged by the setting device hereinafter described. When required an outwardly projecting arm 25 is affixed to'said frame 17 and has an orifice 26 for connection of a draw rope 27 which is passed around a sheave 28 secured on the end of an outwardly disposed lateral bracket 29 aflixed to the hind post 10 for convenience in drawing the barrier frame 17 towards said post 10 in setting the machine. Said arm serves for setting and releasing the barrier-when ordinary detent catches are used to hold and release it.

The lateral distance of said sheave 28 from the hind post 10 is preferably such that it will be slightly outwardly of the line of travel of the point 26 on the carrier arm 25 to which the draw rope 27 is connected so that when said rope is hauled around the sheave 28 the carrier 17 is drawn back upon the guides 7 and slightly laterally outwardly thereon in order to counteract the inward tension of the carrier frame 17 upon the side guides 7, by reason of the barrier ropes 18 straining upon said frame, and so facilitate free travel thereof upon said guides downwardly towards the hind post 10 where it is secured by suitable releasably operable retaining means.

The barrier ropes 18 are independent and each has detachably connected say by snap hooks 30 at: one end tensioning means such as a short length of rubber cord 31 and each end of the complete barrier rope 18 is detachabl connected to the carrier frame 17 say by snap hooks 30 so that each rope will be maintained taut across the'course and in the event of severance may be readily re moved and replaced.

To the fore side of the carrier is atiixed say by an eye 32 one end of the operating moans such as a rope lead over a sheave within a slot in the fore post 9 and connected to tensioningr means such as an elastic rope 34- which is connected to the forward anchor post 16.

The relcasably operable retainil'lg means preferably consist of a draw pin 35 preferably at the hind face of the post 10 having eyed upper end 36 slidable in the bored heads 3? of a pair of distanced bolts 38 secur .fl. to said post 10. The free eyed end of the setting' bar 23 is engaged under the lower head 37 by the projecting; end of the pin 35 to set the barrier and when said pin is withdrawn the barrier is released.

On one post 10 said pin is hingedly connected by its upper eyed end 36 to an eye 39 on the inner end of a hand lever 40 which is fulcrumed on. a pin through an arm l1 secured to and projecting from said post 10. Towards the other end of said lever 40 is an orifice 42 for attachment of a flexible connection t3 which is lead over sheaves 44- on each said post 10 and is attached to the eyed end 36 of the other pin 35 so that upon depressing said lever 40 both pins 35 will be operated in unison and simultaneously release the carrier at each end of the barrier.

The operation of the device is substan tially as follows:

Assuming that the barrier is in the elevated position shown in Figure 1 and it is desired to reset the same, the draw ropes 27 may be pulled so as to draw the barrier downwardly on the inclined guides 7 to the dotted line position shown. When the barrier is in the dotted line position, it is held locked to the rear posts 10 by suitable locking means such for example as the links 23 whose eyes 24 are engaged by the locking ends of the pins 35. lVhe'n the barrier is thus locked in its set position, it is ready for use and when the race is to start the pins 35 are lifted out of the eyes 24. of the links thereby releasing the entire barrier whereby the elastic rope 34 will exert its influence to rapidly pull the barrier upwardly on the inclined guide members 7. The barrier-may then be again reset in the manner previously referred to.

I claim 1. In rare starting machines, a pair of spaced posts. a barrier support ('(HlSlStillQ of :1V pair of parallel forwardly inclined flexible side guides constituted of one length doubled with the loop beyond one post and the falls spaced and slidable through said post and their ends secured to the other post a sheave within the loop. and means for drawing said sheave towards an anchorage to uniformally tauten said'guides.

2. In a race starting machine, a pair of spaced posts, a barrier support consisting of a pair of parallel forwardly inclined side guides constituted of one length doubled with the loop beyond one post and the falls spaced and slidable through said post with their ends secured to the other post, and means for tightening said guides.

Dated this twenty ninth day of July one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five.

REUBEN Gl LBRIEL GR AY. 

